Using the example of Pakistan, this paper highlights the classic struggle taking place in many Islamic societies today, as progressive efforts for reform, particularly on the issue of women’s rights, are met by fundamentalist opposition and government inaction. This paper discusses the contours of the problem of honor crimes with a particular focus on Pakistan’s honor crimes legislation and analyzes the various factors contributing to both the practice of honor crimes, as wellas government resistance to reform. This is an important paper, as it is widely cited in a number of other works on the subject.